Video: Kate stuns in white dress, maple leaf hat

OTTAWA, Ontario — Prince William and Kate joined in Canada Day celebrations on Friday, often stealing the show as they were feted by Canadian leaders and cheered by tens of thousands who lined the streets of the Canadian capital to get a glimpse of them.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomed them to an afternoon program at Parliament Hill as "the world's most famous newlyweds" and said they represent "our unbreakable link with our past and our unqualified optimism for the future."

The crowd — many dressed in Canada's red and white colors — exploded in prolonged cheering and chants of "Will and Kate, Will and Kate." A few wore homemade crowns in a nod to the royals.

The royal couple, who married in April and are on their first official overseas tour, beamed.

In his speech marking Canada's 144th birthday, the prince talked of his and Kate's family ties to Canada — in French and English, as he had a day earlier.

He said that Kate had learned about Canada from her late grandfather, "who held this country dear to his heart for he trained in Alberta as a young pilot during the Second World War."

On his side, he spoke of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. The queen, he said, "has asked me to convey her warmest good wishes to the people of Canada, and her happy and abiding memories of being on Parliament Hill with Thee Duke of Edinburgh one year ago."

The prince referred to his grandmother as "the Queen of Canada," since she remains Canada's head of state, drawing a loud cheer from the crowd.

He said the queen was watching their Canada tour with interest.

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Prince William and Kate Middleton stand outside the official residence of the Governor General of Canada in Ottawa on Thursday, the first day of their visit to North America.

Kate wore the same dress that she wore in her official engagement photos. She was resplendent in Canadian colors, a cream dress by the London designer Reiss, complete with the Queen's Maple Leaf brooch, and a brilliant red hat topped with a maple leaf. Queen Elizabeth II loaned the brooch to the duchess for the tour; it was first worn in 1951 by the then-Princess Elizabeth on her first visit to Canada.

Prince William wore an understated blue suit and a red tie.

Police estimated that some 300,000 people were gathered around Parliament Hill to watch the Canada Day show.

Joan Milovick, 65, traveled from the Toronto area with three of her sisters came and met William during a walkabout. Her sister gave William flowers to give to Kate.

"He seemed so genuine, so much like his mom," Milovick said before shedding tears. "Very glamorous, very much like Diana was."

Friday also would have been the 50th birthday of William's mother, Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 Paris car crash. In London, her admirers gathered to leave gifts outside Kensington Palace, which was her official residence.

A 21-gun salute to Canada's and military plane flyovers were part of the pageantry in Ottawa.

When two F-18's did a flyby, Kate mouthed "that scared me" and put her hand to her heart.

At breaks in the official program, the crowd erupted into the cheer "Will and Kate, Will and Kate." There also were cheers of "Prince William, Prince William," suggesting that the young prince was charming his Canadian audience as much as his new bride was.

Before leaving Parliament Hill, the royal pair walked toward the barricades holding back the public and shook hands and chatted with the people, some of whom had waited through the night. Several gave Kate flowers and small, wrapped gifts.

Greg Kolz, 33, shook both Kate and William's hand and got so nervous that he wished William "Merry Christmas."

"His response was that was brilliant and that he had done that once or twice himself," he said. "We did a bit of a high five and then I collected myself enough to wish him a happy Canada Day."

Rachel Pray, 20, and Anna Martin, 20, from Dresden, Ontario both called it the best day of her lives.

"They talked to us and they asked us if we had sunscreen. They were just really genuine, which was really nice. It was well worth the wait," Pray said.

"I would consider them the ultimate celebrity," Martin said. "I'm still shaking a bit right now. We just decided on a whim last week to come and it's just turned into the most amazing day. I'll never forget it."

As they emerged from their motorcade at the Canadian Museum of Civilization to a raucous welcome. The pro-royal spectators broke into spontaneous renditions of "O Canada" and "God Save the Queen" to drown out a handful of protesters who oppose requiring Canadian citizens to pledge allegiance to the queen.

At the museum, the royal pair watched as 25 people from 14 countries became Canadian citizens. They handed out red and white maple leaf flags to the newly minted Canadians, then participated in a reception for the new citizens and their families.

As he accepted the flags, Siddhartha Kumar, 33, said Kate asked where he was from. When he replied India, he said, she said that she was going there too.

"It is probably one of the most special days of my life so far," said Kumar, who was wearing the tunic he wore the day of his wedding.

During the visit, William, a helicopter pilot, will take part in a water landing demonstration, and the couple is scheduled to put on aprons and take part in a cooking workshop in Quebec City. They also will open the world-renowned Calgary Stampede.

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, speaks to a pupil during a tour of the Inner City Arts campus in Los Angeles, Calif., July 10. The newly married Royal Couple are on the three-day visit to Southern California.
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, helps his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge in making hand prints in clay at Inner City Arts on July 10, in Los Angeles, Calif.
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Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, chat with Jennifer Lopez at the 'BAFTA Brits to Watch' event at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 9.
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Prince William and Kate, the duke and duchess of Cambridge, arrive at the inaugural BAFTA Brits to Watch 2011 event at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles, Saturday, July 9. At left is BAFTA chairman Amanda Berry. The royal couple were on the second day of their stay in California after a trip to Canada.
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Bystanders wait for William and wife Kate to arrive at the BAFTA Brits to Watch event in Los Angeles. The royal couple leave California on July 10.
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Prince William competes in the Foundation Polo Challenge at The Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Carpinteria, Calif., on July 9. The event benefits the American Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry, a charity that supports disadvantaged children, conservation and sustainable development, veterans and military families.
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A crowd waits for the royal couple to arrive at Variety's Venture Capital and New Media Summit at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 8 in Beverly Hills.
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William and Kate watch some bullriding while wearing Western clothing and cowboy hats in Calgary, Alberta, on July 7. The royal couple visited Canada for nine days before heading to California.
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William and Kate pose for a photo with members of the Canadian Forces flight crew upon their arrival in Calgary, Alberta on July 7.
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Prince William and his wife Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, shake hands with six-year-old Riley Oldford, left, and eight-year-old Adithi Balaji before departing Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada for Slave Lake, Alberta, on Wednesday, July 6, 2011.
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit a part of town devastated by a fire in May 2011, on July 6 in Slave Lake, Alberta. The newly married Royal Couple are on the seventh day of their first joint overseas tour.
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Prince William and wife Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge greet fans following a tour of Slave Lake, Canada on Wednesday, July 6.
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Prince William and wife Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, take a canoe ride with Northwest Territories Indian Brotherhood Chief Francois Paulette, left, from the Fort Smith area at Lake Blatchford, Canada, lodge on July 5. The royal couple, on the sixth day of their first overseas tour after their marriage, were on their way to Blachford Lake. After Canada, the couple will spend several days in the United States.
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Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, exit a teepee at Blatchford Lodge, Northwest Territories on July 5.
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Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge board a seaplane at the Old Town Float Base on Tuesday, July 5, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.
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Prince William and Kate receive hockey jerseys during a welcome ceremony in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, during their tour of Canada on July 5.
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Prince William takes a shot with a hockey stick as his wife Kate watches during a visit to the Somba K'e Civic Plaza on July 5 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.
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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, depart from Province House by carriage on Monday, July 4, in Charlottetown, Canada. The newly married royal couple are on their first joint overseas tour. The 12-day visit to North America is taking in some of the more remote areas of Canada such as Prince Edward Island, Yellowknife and Calgary. The couple started off their tour by joining millions of Canadians on July 1 in taking part in Canada Day celebrations, which mark Canada's 144th birthday.
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Prince William gets ready to take part in a Sea King helicopter demonstration, July 4, in Dalvay by-the-Sea, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
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Prince William takes part in a demonstration of waterbirding during an exercise in a Sea King Helicopter on July 4, in Charlottetown, Canada.
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Alexa Currie is reluctant to pass her flowers to Kate during the royal couple's visit to Summerside, Prince Edward Island, July 4.
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Wiliam and Kate walk down the gangway of HMCS Montreal, following a morning prayer service on the helicopter pad at the rear of the war ship in Quebec City, Canada, July 3.
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Prince William and wife Kate arrive for a ceremonial tree planting accompanied by Governor General David Johnston at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Saturday, July 2.
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Prince William and wife Kate take part in a ceremonial tree plating with Governor General David Johnston and wife Sharon at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on July 2.
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Royal fans try to catch a glimpse of Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as they visit the Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal July 2.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chat with young cancer patients who are working on crafts during a tour of Sainte-Justine children's hospital July 2 in Montreal.
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Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, left, and Prince William take part in a cooking workshop at the Institut de Tourisme et d'Hotellerie du Quebec in Montreal on July 2.
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Britain's Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, second left and center, applaud as they watch a Canada Day performance on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on the second day of their visit, July 1.
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Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, looks over her shoulder as she and Prince William arrive on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for Canada Day celebrations on July 1.
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The Duchess of Cambridge, better known as Kate, greets spectators during Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on July 1.
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Kate receives flowers from Aurelie Thibault, left, and Sophie Graydon, right, as she takes part in a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, June 30.
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, during an informal reception for young Canadian volunteers in the official residence of the Governor General of Canada, Rideau Hall in Ottawa, on the first day of their visit to the Commonwealth country.
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Prince William talks to one of the Guard of Honour soliders after arriving at the Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
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Kate greets the crowds as she and Prince William take part in a ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Canada.
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Prime Minister Stephen Harper (L) and wife Laureen Harper (R) stand in silence alongside Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. The couple will tour seven cities in four provinces and one territory in Canada before heading to California on July 8.
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Prince William greets the crowds as he and Kate take part in a ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
(Sean Kilpatrick / AP)
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